Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty, pointing, and Attorney General Mike DeWine, third from right, appear together at a news conference after a raid on Internet cafes in April.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With the efforts to repeal a law that restricts Internet sweepstakes cafes coming to an end, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced Thursday his office would work with law enforcement to watch for illegal activity.

The new law, designed to effectively put the sweepstakes cafes out of business, had been on hold while petitioners sought signatures needed to get the referendum to the ballot. But with the clock running down on the referendum Thursday, the law takes effect Friday.

DeWine was a supporter of the legislation and a strong critic of the Internet cafe industry. He targeted the cafes as unlawful fronts for illegal gambling and other serious crime.

“Internet sweepstakes cafes have long had operations that raised suspicions of illegal gambling,” DeWine said Thursday in his statement. “Ohio now has a law which makes clear which activities are legal and illegal in these cafes, and we will not hesitate to enforce the law.”

Customers at the sweepstakes cafes buy cell phone minutes and computer time on the Internet to gain access to electronic sweepstakes gaming machines which offer a chance at cash prizes.

Critics of the cafes have said people were simply buying the time as a means to gamble.

Industry proponents say the Internet cafes are legal and important to communities because they provide jobs.

The new law puts limits on the prizes that can be paid to customers, disallowing cash, gift cards, lottery tickets, bingo, instant bingo, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, or vouchers for any such items and limiting the value of prizes to $10.

The attorney general now will have regulatory authority over sweepstakes terminal devices used by the cafes. Cafes will have to be registered and file monthly reports with the attorney general.

The law gives the Bureau of Criminal Investigation explicit authority to investigate gambling law violations at the cafes.

DeWine said his office will send letters to county prosecutors around the state to tell them about known Internet cafes and offer them assistance with enforcing the law.

“House Bill 7 certainly offers clearer guidelines for legal sweepstakes than what previously existed in Ohio law,” DeWine said. “Sweepstakes operators need to conduct their business in accordance with the law. We will be watching.”

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